Darkness
The Darkness was a primary aspect of mutantry. Those who used the darkness were known as either Dark mutants when unaffiliated with a Dark organization such as the NoHeads. Unlike the S.M.S.B., who were famous for using the Light, dark mutants drew power from raw emotions and feelings such as anger, hatred, greed, envy, fear, aggression, megalomania, and unrestrained passion. Despite being labelled as "dark", the Darkness is not necessarily "evil". Definition The darkness was an aspect of mutantry, a metaphysical power that bound the world together. The first known users of the dark side were the ancient Velecta, an alien species that conquered a large portion of the galaxy around 30,000 BC. These aliens were able to harness the darkness to create engineering feats unheard of in their time, such as the hyperdrive. However, the Velectan Infinite Empire eventually collapsed when the Velectans lost their connection to mutantry. While the Light was discovered in Ancient Egypt, Lady Xamera's ancestors were rumored to have discovered the Darkness. They created the Legions of Metta. Because there were few mutated users of the Light, the Knights went unopposed for years. However, they fell during the Battle of the Appalachians by the police, who advocated using both sides of mutantry and placed heavy emphasis on maintaining balance between the two. In the 1940s, millennia after the fall of the Kingdom of the Stone, scientists, philosophers, priests, and warriors gathered in New York to discuss and investigate an anomalous energy present throughout the universe. The group was able to rediscover the Light. Eventually however, members of the group discovered and began to advocate the use of the darkness. Nature The difference between the Darkness and Light appeared to be in how they feel to those who are aware of them. The Light at times was described as a flowing river: soothing, constant, with hidden strength. In contrast, the Darkness was described as a roaring fire: obviously powerful, seductive, and potentially dangerous. Lord Gorn and Mr. Crooked NoHead mentioned the difference between the two sides of mutantry. They claimed that while the Light represented the compassion and tranquility of all beings of the solar system, the Darkness focused on individual passion and strength. They also mentioned that while the Light was about maintaining the status quo, the Darkness was about change and evolution. The Darkness was seen as having been used for selfish purposes, although many Dark mutants who were accused of such selfishness claimed that the Darkness was simply a means to achieve an end. One of the most notable examples was Thomas Meyer. According to Ramona Meyer, the Darkness is pragmatic in nature, where every time a branch is defeated, it only comes back "fiercer and cleverer" than before. It is therefore imperative that one's defenses must be as versatile as the foul force itself. Allure of the darkness The NoHeads call it enlightenment; however, no records explain exactly how a conversion to the Darkness takes place. For some, the Darkness was extremely attractive and almost impossible to reject. Every time a person in tune with mutantry called on the Darkness, they became more addicted to the power it brought them. The Darkness' corrupting influence could take control of a mutant in certain moments. Although the S.M.S.B. primarily characterized the Darkness as little more than a dangerous shortcut to power, those who embraced the Darkness did so for various reasons. Some, including Annabeth Black, believed the Darkness to be more generous than the Light, as it provided power, strength, and determination. Many of the Legions of Metta held this idea and believed it foolish of the police to restrict themselves to a lesser interpretation of mutantry. Some fell to the darkness for the sake of knowledge, such as Sebiscuits Cardarphen in his fight to discover where he belonged. Some fell to the darkness because of a natural connection with it. In some cases, S.M.S.B. members who had had limited control over the light side found their power and natural talent massively stronger in the Darkness. Others fell because they saw the Light and the endless rules that the S.M.S.B. demanded to maintain it as too much to follow, as well as too limiting to their influence on the world. They saw the Darkness and its tenets of free passion, action, and emotion as a much better alternative to a life of sterile servitude under the Light. Some also converted because they felt that the Darkness at least got things done, instead of the patience and pacifism of the light. Among these people were Karrid Yera, Sebiscuits Cardarphen, and Xamera. Others believed that it was a necessary evil in dire times, such as Thomas Meyer, while Krenea the Kinetic embraced it so she might be able to find a way to destroy mutantry as a whole. She also believed that the contrast of the Darkness was necessary for a lightsider to truly understand mutantry. Some embraced the Darkness not out of personal desire, but as a means to battle the police, as Avara did. For many, like Mr. Stupid NoHead, Abalan, Mr. Odious NoHead, and Mr. Demonic NoHead, the Darkness was the first side of mutantry to which they were introduced and thus they did not succumb to it. Often the call of the Darkness was felt following a personal tragedy, as Baby Intelligence and Centauri experienced following the death of loved ones. Others turned to it in times of need or distress, such as Smasa and Mr. Devastating NoHead. In addition, it was possible to be drawn to the Darkness by proximity to a nexus of Dark energy, such as the Hollow of the Lords in Gorravan. Though their pasts and situations were varied, almost all who turned to the darkness did so because they faced challenges and difficulties that they felt the light was incapable of helping them overcome. The changes these individuals underwent that led them to the Darkness were clearly a result of their life experiences up to that point, and their willingness or unwillingness to resist the emotive forces that pulled one over the threshold of its allure and power. Among the most powerful of those emotive forces — which lightsiders were ever cautioned to resist and dark mutants were ever admonished to embrace — are fear and anger, for both can lead to hate, which, as Baby Intelligence was quick to caution, ever lies only a stepping-stone away from the realm of the Darkness. Fear was most often the starting point in a slide to the Darkness — for, like a plague, it could quickly and rampantly affect individuals, groups, entire populations of cities, and even planets; and like a stream that becomes a raging river, it led naturally to anger, chaos, and unbridled power, if left unabated. When fear was thus allowed to fester and go unchecked, it could take hold and create a concentration of Dark energy that bordered on being something that approached a vergence or nexus in mutantry. Mutants could, often with great facility, detect such concentrations. Corruption of the Darkness , deformed by decades of immersion in the Darkness]] The Darkness, much like a strong, addictive narcotic, affected not only the mind of the user but the appearance as well. As one immersed oneself deeper within the Darkness, its malevolent power took a toll on the body. Baron Zarath explained that the reason for this physical degradation was because flesh and bone lacked the endurance to channel the immense power of the Darkness indefinitely. Emily Watson also explained that while the Light and superhero teachings were devoted to preventing physical change through mutantry, the Dark changes had to be accepted by the NoHeads, or they would fail due to their attempts at moderation. Many Dark mutants experienced a change in the pigmentation of their eyes, as the scleras of their eyes would transform into luminous, blood red, or a sulfuric yellow or dark orange, or in very rare cases such as Cate Lilly black, usually with blackened vertical slits replacing the pupils. Further transformations could also occur could also turn the skin around the eyes purple or black in color. Many Dark mutants would also experience a change in the shape of their nose, as their nose would arch into an ugly hook nose. In some rarer cases, such as Mr. Formidable NoHead or the Gladiator, the chin of a Dark mutant could become square in shape, a change which has never known to occur in a female Dark mutant before. The most severe transformations would cause the Dark mutant to appear to be aging rapidly, as the skin would lose pigmentation, becoming pale and mottled while veins became increasingly visible and hair would lose color. At some point, the user's voice could also be altered, becoming a few pitches lower and raspier. The effects generally progressed over time and immersion in the Darkness, and would not immediately affect one's appearance. Annabeth Black and Abalan, for example, did not suffer any of the physical degeneration of the Darkness, and their eyes only assumed the red hue during moments of anger. Baby Intelligence suffered none of these effects during his brief bout of intense anger that allowed him to disarm Mr. Stupid NoHead, nor did Jaden Korn during either of the times that he was (at least partially) driven by the Darkness against Seasann. Of those that embraced the Darkness, different individuals would experience different symptoms: L'smae, for example, experienced a change in eye color and acquired a slight pallor, but no other effects that could be explained naturally (although she required a vocoder after her jaw was severed). Only those that devoted almost all of their being to the Darkness, such as Mr. Stupid NoHead, would have their appearance radically altered. Cate Lilly had her eyes change hue, but after six years of using the Darkness, nothing else had occurred. There is evidence that the Darkness altered the appearance of males faster or more severely than females, with only rare examples such as Emily Watson taking its full effects. corrupted by the Darkness]] In time, the corruption could go beyond mere cosmetic details and directly impair physical abilities. The worst case of this transformation would be Mr. Ghastly NoHead, who was completely consumed by the Darkness both mentally and physically. Eventually, he became an aberration of the Darkness that existed only to consume life. The Darkness could have an even greater effect on the mind, as the user often stopped trusting people and become quick to anger. Following Sebiscuits Cardarphen's submission to evil, he accused Baby Intelligence of trying to keep him dumbed down through secretive rituals. Continued immersion in the Darkness could even result in insanity, as in the case of cyborg Augustus Salt. It was implied that these corrupting powers could possibly be potent enough to affect those who were simply near a nexus of Dark energy. While the Darkness could destroy a body, it was also capable of sustaining one. The hateful, passionate, determined energies of the Darkness were so powerful that it could prevent death for a body that was far past the point of death for a normal being. Sebiscuits Cardarphen had his legs amputated shortly before having his lungs seared as he was burned alive in the City Volcano. His life was saved only after intervention by his former master, Baby Intelligence, and his Dark healing abilities. Fear of the Darkness As the Darkness was often associated with darker emotions, dark mutants were portrayed to the world as savage and evil. The S.M.S.B. disagreed so strongly with the purpose of the Darkness that they distanced themselves from anything possibly related to the Darkness. They also made it part of their mission to neutralize any and all practitioners of the Darkness by whatever means necessary, though killing them was usually a last resort. After the Second NoHead War, Baby Intelligence placed many limitations on his students to protect them from temptation by Dark influences. For the most part, he forbade members romantic attachments and any type of action based on anger, though he eventually lifted the aforementioned ban. This former limit had come from the belief that those members who had deep personal attachments with loved ones also had motivation to use the power of mutantry selfishly for protection, personal enrichment, or the pursuit of more power. Many — especially those who had embraced the darkness — believed this to be a result of fear. Often those who held this belief looked down upon the S.M.S.B. and other lightsiders, criticizing them for cowardice and inaction. Many NoHeads and even a few officers mocked the police for claiming to strive to understand mutantry while refusing to study everything it had to offer. They claimed that the police scrutinized a single layer of mutantry, while they dug beneath layer after layer, understanding and evolving. Many NoHeads have expressed this viewpoint. Kenzie claimed that the S.M.S.B. refused to accept that mutantry encouraged conflict, allowing those who survive to understand it better. Mr. Stupid NoHead claimed that the NoHeads embraced all aspects of mutantry, not just "the unrefined, shortsighted view of the S.M.S.B." And Annabeth Black stated that the thing that united the NoHeads was that they "did not repress their emotions, and they embraced everything that mutantry allowed." As the Darkness was often associated with infamous historical figures, such as Lord Smasa, Mykew Hadeline, and Mr. Stupid NoHead, it is unsurprising that many throughout the world would harbor such animosity to its users. Death of Dark mutants Certain Darkness users, upon being killed, would explode in a blast of green energy. Emily Watson exploded in this way in 2012 after being thrown down a reactor core shaft in Tower Placement School by Summer Petersen. Lord Smasa did not explode, but rather dissolved into Dark energy upon his death, leaving no remains of his body. It remains a mystery why these individuals died in this manner while other dark side users, such as Mean King, did not.''Boys vs. Girls'' trilogy Mysteriously, when Rachel Bradley was struck down by Abalan and thrown into the mouth of a giant gargoyle, she died in a way similar to the explosions mentioned above, but was in no way a Darkness user. The reason her death occurred in the manner it did has yet to be clarified. It may be that this occurred when a more powerful mutant was killed and thus mutant "side" affiliation may be irrelevant. Manifestations of the Darkness The Darkness was known to manifest itself in many different ways, even in the absence of life, which was the logical source of mutantry. Locations where the Darkness ran strong were sometimes called Dark nexuses, and could be the result of many different occurrences. These locations were so potent that they could imbue nearby objects with a Dark aura. The Hollow of the Lords in Gorravan became a nexus of Dark power as a result of the long-term presence of the Legions of Metta, as well as their lingering spirits. The tombs within the Hollow were especially saturated with Dark energy, causing the relics within to have a permanent Dark aura. Within these tombs, the Darkness was known to coagulate into visible pools of cellular energy. These pools would tempt passersby to bathe in the Dark energies, pulling them closer to the Darkness. The Darkness could also center itself around people and objects. The Dark Lord Mr. Stupid NoHead was so powerful in the Darkness that a nexus of darkness followed him wherever he went. Dorphane Giles was also known to exude a similar aura. Mettan artifacts carried with them potent dark power as well, such as the Scepter of Quake. Strength of the Darkness A common point of debate among superheroes and their dark counterparts was the strength that laid behind the Darkness. A major claim of Dark mutants was that the stronger, darker emotions that fueled their power also lent them an edge over other superpowered beings. Superheroes and other groups who held to the light often claimed that the Darkness was a shortcut to power, but also to suffering and destruction. It is true that many Dark mutants noticeably advanced in their command of mutantry following their conversion, like Annabeth Black. Many were in fact capable of incredible feats of destruction, powers that seemed incomprehensible for a single being to wield. The NoHeads often claimed that the Police Grand Army were weak and foolish for not tapping into the Darkness, which they considered to be the stronger side of mutantry. While the Darkness did provide for a more visual display of power, superheroes were capable of the same amount of power, but could not apply it in such terrible, destructive ways. However, these powers came with a price. Some abilities required extraordinary immersion in the Darkness, and the practitioners of such dark powers invariably suffered terrible physical degradation. Mr. Demonic NoHead for example aged very poorly as the Darkness consumed him from within. Mr. Ghastly NoHead presented what was perhaps the most extreme example of this issue. As his power grew, he became so consumed by the Darkness that his physical form was eventually destroyed, forcing him to encase his spirit in his armor. It was also noted by S.M.S.B. Grandmaster Baby Intelligence that the Darkness was quick to aid a mutant in combat, often to great effect. Mr. Stupid NoHead called upon the Darkness and was able to quickly slay three members of the Police Grand Army and persuade Sebiscuits Cardarphen to assist him in killing the fourth. Cardarphen himself was able to kill many Grand Army members single-handedly during Operation: Purge. Baby Intelligence himself utilized the power of the Darkness to defeat Mr. Stupid NoHead at the upper levels of the Fourth NoHead Base, drawing on his rage to bolster his combat effectiveness for a short time. Even Summer Petersen, a Fobble and semi viral-star, unconsciously drew upon the Darkness to incapacitate Empress Zira Miranda Grover. Thomas Meyer, after his transformation into the Dark Flame, proved able to essentially stalemate the entire S.M.S.B. in the Acquisition District, despite their overwhelming power in mutantry. The combat prowess exhibited by these individuals may have been the result of a lack of moral restrictions Dark mutants placed on themselves. When in battle, however, the Darkness itself lent to their ferocity and determination.''Boys vs. Girls 2'' One fatal weakness that has been repeatedly illustrated in the Darkness is a lack of focus that seems to stem from a reliance on emotions such as pride, anger, and fear, which heighten powers but also lead to clouded judgment. This issue often leads to Dark mutants being brought low by their hubris, even in situations where victory would otherwise seem assured. For example, Baby Intelligence defeated both Hell Burnbottom and Sebiscuits Cardarphen, despite the fact that he was the less viable combatant in both situations. Emily Watson felt threatened by Summer Petersen and allowed her pride to blind her to Petersen’s true power, leading to Watson’s demise. As such, it would seem that the Darkness may offer its adherents a more tangible sort of power: one that is direct and physical, while the Light provides a more subtle kind of power, that of focus and understanding. To their detriment, the power of the Light is one which Dark mutants often fail to understand and tend to underestimate. However, this weakness was not absolute, and it was indeed possible to wield the Darkness without succumbing to one’s own pride or rage. In a manuscript entitled The Might of Overlords, Mr. Stupid NoHead stated that while he believed that anger was the most potent catalyst for drawing on the destructive energies of the Darkness, he realized that it could impair one’s judgment. As such, he cautioned that keeping one’s anger under control was vital to mastering the Darkness, emphasizing that a strong will and high levels of intelligence were needed to exercise this control. In keeping with this sort of philosophy, advanced practitioners of the Darkness could, even in the heat of combat, keep their emotions in check as their superhero counterparts could. Annabeth Black was a prime example of a Dark mutant with this capability. Conversely, while the Darkness could provide its practitioners with destructive capabilities beyond that of Light practitioners, it fell short of the Light when it came to biologically sustainable healing. While the Darkness could be used to improve one’s vitality and repair one’s body as the Light could, the results of utilizing the Darkness in such a manner were almost always temporary. Nearly all Darkness based healing based powers worked only so long as the practitioner actively channeled the Darkness, and whatever malady the power was meant to treat often returned in full force the moment they ceased to do so. Mr. Demonic NoHead’s and Becca Smith’s use of Dark healing abilities present a few good examples. In Mr. Demonic NoHead’s case, while he was at one point able to hold off the effects of being trapped within a deadly void by strengthening himself through the pain and suffering of others, he still required the assistance of the con healer Conda to actually cure himself. Becca Smith was capable of using the Darkness to heal whatever injuries she sustained to the point where she could be shot multiple times, but she had to maintain intense concentration on the Darkness to do so. If her hate abated or her concentration slipped, her injuries would consume her at an ordinary rate. The Light, on the other hand, could provide accelerated healing in a permanent, biologically sustainable fashion. Another weakness that apparently lay in the Darkness, which could be seen as giving superheroes the upper hand, was the strife inescapably associated with it. Dark mutants could never ultimately destroy their foes because they were bound to, sooner or later, turn upon each other, with each one constantly striving for more power at the expense of others, and seeking to dominate everything around him. This flaw became particularly pronounced if there was no reigning overlord to keep the lesser ones in check. It also should be noted that the training methods of Dark mutants were often brutal, as exemplified by the NoHeads. One common result of this tendency was that the weaker Dark mutants often died before ever getting the chance to fight a superhero, which may help to explain their high success rate against superheroes — more weak superheroes survived their training to fight the strongest of the NoHeads. Despite this disparity, the followers of the Light proved victorious in the majority of large scale conflicts with Dark adherents. This trend was due almost exclusively due to the infighting that inevitably occurred between the various Dark mutants during said conflicts. However the Supers were not always victorious, being defeated a number of times in major conflicts. Dark powers Those who wielded the Darkness found many superpowers easier to use, with some powers available only to Dark mutants. Some superheroes could use some Dark abilities, but most preferred not to since Dark abilities had aggressive, destructive, or perversely manipulative tendencies. Powers commonly associated with the Darkness are lightning, mind control, possession, telekinetic crush, and of course, the Death beam, all examples of horrible Dark mutantry intended to affect the target in a strongly negative manner. Notably, most Dark mutants appear to Teleport differently than other mutants. Dark mutants Deteleport by turning into a whirlwind of fire and flying into the air, and then spiraling back down to the desired spot. Meanwhile, other mutants can just pop and disappear, or similarly can disappear in a whirlwind of white smoke. The ability to generate this whirlwind may reflect an advanced Dark mutant. As the NoHeads were a cult not only devoted to the Darkness, but the accumulation of power by way of the Darkness, many Dark powers were known exclusively to them. Their ancient and infamous practices of NoHead alchemy allowed for the creation of monsters and other terrors. Dark organizations The NoHeads The most infamous Dark cult, the NoHeads were a sect of mutants bent upon the destruction of the superheroes and domination of the solar system. Originally a gang of criminals, the cult was formed by the son of one of its members, Mr. Stupid NoHead, who established an expanding organization that would become the NoHead Empire. The Empire would eventually fall but the NoHeads would survive. The NoHeads were also seen as the masters of the Darkness, and the pinnacle of Dark power. They perfected the art of Dark mutations. The leader of the cult, the NoHead Grandmaster, was considered the embodiment of the Darkness itself, and all power of the Darkness would flow from them. With such great influence, the NoHeads inspired many cults that weren't technically part of the Order, nor were they composed of actual NoHeads. Instead, they were founded and made up of NoHead devotees and other mutants dedicated to prolonging the teachings and the memory of the NoHeads. One such cult was the Apostles of Quake. Way of the Dark The Way of the Dark, or simply the Dark, was a view of mutantry taken up by Frona and those that taught him. It was effectively the polar opposite of the Potentium, but taken a step further. This Way of the Dark belief did not just deny the existence of the Light side; it stated that mutantry itself was simply a small extension of the Dark. This system stated that destruction was the universal constant that all things worked towards, going so far as to call it the “will of the universe”. An initiate was taught that if one made destruction his primary goal, with whatever scheme he was taking part in being a secondary objective, then the Dark would effectively reward the initiate for the devastation caused by pushing the secondary objective to success. As a prime example of this, Frona cited that Mr. Stupid NoHead was able to achieve success against the police and the government because his primary motive was the destruction of both parties. However, once he had achieved these goals and set about consolidating his rule and building the Empire, his focus shifted from destruction to creation, in total opposition to universal processes. Thus when before he could not fail, now he could never succeed. Sorcerers of Rull The Sorcerers of Rull shared most of the Mettan beliefs, which was not surprising, given the fact that their order was founded by Mettan mages. However, they viewed mutantry as a magical power and manipulated it mostly by arcane symbols and spells. The police viewed the sorcerers as merely another mutant sect, but would often try to “convert” the Sorcerers, attempting to convince them to use mutantry without any of their trappings of magic and mysticism. However, they were unsuccessful, and eventually the police contented themselves with making sure the Sorcerers did not descend into the Darkness. Appearances Notes and references Category:Darkness